Beast Complex

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Amazing short stories, all sharing the common theme of a carnivore and a herbivore co-existing in the same society (with a few exceptions) with (if I remember correctly) 2 Beastars spin-offs

Paru Itagaki's art drastically improves in the middle of the manga, along with her incredible storytelling skills (can't stress this enough), you'll definitely miss details if you're not deeply observing the visuals

Very enjoyable read that made me laugh multiple times, and manga rarely if ever makes me laugh

It's great for what it is, all I could ask for are more chapters but I doubt we'll have more any time soon seeing that Sanda is coming ... out and Beastars is finished

Fun-fact: Legosi appears in the first volume as a background character (it was published before Beastars was even written)

Haven't written a review in a while, so might as well get started with one of my favorite mangas within the last 5 years. (NOTICE: Possible spoilers ahead, I type and don't reread most of the time. So spelling errors and possible spoilers ahead.)

Beast Complex by Paru Itagaki is a manga that is both a spin-off (and prequel in some cases?) to Beastars a manga she will go on to make for a few years. Beats Complex follows different characters in every chapter and their story. A few that stick out to me are the movie-star chapter, the chapter with the crocodile and the cow, ... and the one that follows two people in a subway. There are many more and I really like the one-shot feel to the chapters and end up being satisfied in the end, unlike Beastars around the end of its serialization.

Story: 10

The one-shot stories are enjoyable and really work for the week-by-week structure in which it was published. I felt like if this was a constant weekly series this would work well.

Art 10

The first 8 to seven chapters art was a bit awkward since Paru was still finding her artsyle. (Basically the same as Beastars early art.) But as It goes on and Paru finding her artstyle, it ends up looking amazing.

Overall 9/10

I am sure that, like me, most people who come in contact this manga are already familiar with Beastars. If you're already engaged with this series, then Beast Complex is more than you could ever ask for. And I don't mean the inconsequential, trivia-style background. I mean that Beast Complex makes for a perfect companion/predecessor in that it both expands upon this universe and feeds readers' understanding of what Paru Itagaki aims to achieve with her unconventional, "adult-Zootopia" premise.

After reading the first volume of Beast Complex, I understand that Itagaki's writing's strength is character (besides her already excellent creative compositions and worldbuilding). She has ... proven in Beastars that she is so versatile that the series' genre is almost impossible to pinpoint. This is, in my opinion, because she can effectively replicate what it is like to live and coexist in a society that is diverse and multifaceted and yet finds finds that putting people in specific boxes is the best way to go about it - this being universal but especially true for Japanese society. Beast Complex is, as you can expect, not pessimistic or pedantic and builds sweet and poignant narratives in every episode. You are sure to find one or two that you cen relate to.

Nonetheless, I do not think Beast Complex may be as palatable to people unfamiliar with Beastars. It the place to go if you're in need of a change of pace from the dynamic companion. It is not as ambitious and is by no means revolutionary anthology storytelling, but, as you may be able to tell, I am very very happy with my purchasee. Art-wise, I found some of the panels hard to read, especially in comparison with how much the author has polished her style. I hope this review helps!